Live Earth (Global Warming act)

The plans for the Live Earth concerts were announced at a media event in Los Angeles on February 15,^[3] 2007 by Al Gore and other celebrities. The inspiration for promoting the cause using benefit concerts comes from many similar events over the past 25 years including the 1985 Live Aid concerts and the 2005 Live 8 concerts and it was to be the longest show ever to be recorded in the world records. The event was claimed to be carbon neutral, and organizers said they would purchase carbon credits to offset the environmental impact of the flights associated with the events.^[4]

NIMBY (Not in my backyard) is a new phenomena, that show about how much we care about our environment,as long as not in my backyard, people of this world, didn't know, that they world, would be in the serious ill damaged, SOS (save Our Self) were the word from Mr.Gore himself.

In addition to raising awareness of global warming,^[5] on June 28 2007, it was revealed that Live Earth is to be the launch event for the Live Earth Call to Action.^[6] During the concerts people were asked to support the following 7-point pledge:^[6]

1. To demand that my country join an international treaty within the next 2 years that cuts global warming pollution by 90% in developed countries and by more than half worldwide in time for the next generation to inherit a healthy earth;
2. To take personal action to help solve the climate crisis by reducing my own CO₂ pollution as much as I can and offsetting the rest to become 'carbon neutral;'
3. To fight for a moratorium on the construction of any new generating facility that burns coal without the capacity to safely trap and store the CO₂;
4. To work for a dramatic increase in the energy efficiency of my home, workplace, school, place of worship, and means of transportation;
5. To fight for laws and policies that expand the use of renewable energy sources and reduce dependence on oil and coal;
6. To plant new trees and to join with others in preserving and protecting forests; and,
7. To buy from businesses and support leaders who share my commitment to solving the climate crisis and building a sustainable, just, and prosperous world for the 21st century.

In subsequent interviews Al Gore indicated that the concerts would mark 'the beginning of a three-year campaign worldwide to deliver information about how we solve the climate crisis'^[7][8] and that 'the prospects for every future generation depend on us understanding, hearing and acting upon this information.'^[7][9]

Armies of workers at the nine concert sites in seven different continents ensured that Live Earth practised what it had preached during 24 hours of live music.

An array of environmentally-friendly measures had failed to save the concerts from criticism.

Some environmental groups condemned Live Earth for staging rock concerts and actually increasing carbon emissions - the very thing it had demanded its 2 billion global audience should cut.

Others said people would not be lectured to by rock stars who had used private jets to get to the venues. There was also surprise about some of the sponsors including the US car manufacturers Chevrolet in London and Daimler-Chrysler in Hamburg.

Madonna, who closed the nine-hour Wembley Stadium concert, attended by 70,000 people, came in for particular criticism and was forced to release a statement saying she was committed to reducing her own carbon footprint. The move came after the Fox News network obtained a tax return which showed she had more than £1 million invested in a company heavily criticised for environmental pollution.

In response organisers said the concerts had reached more than 10 million visitors online alone.

They also claimed that more than 10,000 "Friends of Live Earth" events were registered in 130 countries which would help build a community committed to tackling climate change.

All 150 artists who took part in the concerts in New York, Rio de Janeiro, Sydney, Tokyo, Shanghai, Johannesburg, Hamburg, London and Washington waived their appearance fees and signed up to a carbon pledge.

There was also surprise about some of the sponsors including the US car manufacturers Chevrolet in London and Daimler-Chrysler in Hamburg.

Madonna, who closed the nine-hour Wembley Stadium concert, attended by 65,000 people, and was forced to release a statement saying she was committed to reducing her own carbon footprint.

The move came after the Fox News network obtained a tax return which showed she had more than £1m invested in a company heavily criticised for environmental pollution. In response organisers said the concerts had reached more than 10 million visitors online alone – the highest number of simultaneous viewers of any online concert and had inspired change in viewers on a global scale.

They also claimed that more than 10,000 'Friends of Live Earth’ events had now been registered in 130 countries which would help build a community committed to tackling climate change.

By early today, 150,000 people had signed up to an online pledge to cut their use of fossil fuels. "The concerts were only the springboard and we now face three years of hard work to try and find a global solution," said a spokesman.

All 150 artists who took part in the concerts in New York, Rio de Janeiro, Sydney, Tokyo, Shanghai, Johannesburg, Hamburg, London and Washington waived their appearance fees and signed up to the pledge to cut their own CO2 emissions.

Former US Vice President Al Gore, who was the main figurehead of Live Earth urged audiences around the world to sign up to the pledge and to urge their governments to take action to help stop global warming.

Mr Gore called the event an "historic day" when he spoke from the Washington concert, calling for the developed world to reduce carbon emissions.

On a video link, he said: "Not many years from now, our children and grandchildren will ask one of two questions, looking back at us in 2007.

"Either they will ask 'What were they thinking, didn’t they hear the scientists, see the evidence, didn’t they care, or were they too busy?'

"Or they will ask the second question, which I prefer. I want them to ask of us: 'How did they get their act together to successfully solve the climate crisis?'"

The actor Leonardo DiCaprio said as he introduced Mr Gore: "Our actions from this day forward will help determine just what sort of future we pass on to our children and to their children. As we all face this together, we cannot afford to fail those future generations, or to fail ourselves. What once seemed like science-fiction is now an inconvenient, if undeniable, truth."

Reactions to the concerts were mixed. Newspapers in London and New York were much more cynical claiming the underlying serious message about climate change had been diluted by the use of rock concerts.

But in Germany, where Snoop Dogg was among the acts at the Hamburg concert, Live Earth dominated the headlines. "The bottom line is that if nothing else, the issue of climate protection was a lot of fun for two billion people for one day," wrote Bild am Sonntag, Germany’s best-selling Sunday newspaper.

more performers : wikipedia.org